Device for peeling and coring pears



Jan. 15, 1929.

c. B. SPENCER E TAL DEVICE FOR FEELING AND CORING FEARS4 Filed Deo. 10,1926 Qmwntoc .Gu/'l B Spulen; and

L. Moon Cqna d y,

6R01 nu,

'Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GECIL B. SPENCER AND L. MOORE CANADAY, OF ALBANY, OREGON.

DEVICE FOB PEELING AND GORING PEARS.

- Application led December 10, 192,6. Serial No. 153,759.

operation.

A further object of the invention is the rovision of actuating means forcausing the knives that peel and core the fruit to be oscillated aboutan axis substantially conforming to the center of the fruit being eeled,so that a cutting stroke of the knives or a full half-circle will beeffected.

VA still further object of the invention is the provision of knives ofimproved arrangement and design for severingthe peeling and blossom endof the pear, together with the core and stem, at one operation.

Other objects and advantages of our invention, and objects relating todetails of construction and novel arrangement of parts therein, will bereadily apparent in the course of the detailed description to follow.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example an embodiment ofour invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in transversesection.

Fig. 3 1s a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinalsection.

Referring to said views, the reference numeral 1 indicates the bottom ofa rectangular cast metal frame, and 2 and 3 designate vertical sidewalls thereof. A11 end Wall 5 is provided, and an interior vertical wall6 of integral construction dividing the interior of said frame intocompartments 7 and 8. Brackets 10 are formed in the corners of /thechamber 8, upon which a tray 11 is rigidly mounted through screws 12.Said tray is formed vwith a receptacle 13 conforming to a half-sectionof the pear or other fruit to be operated upon.

A transversely disposed circular bar 15 is rigidly mounted in thechamber 7 u on which a head 16 is mounted for sli ing movementslongitudinally of the bar and rocking movements pivotally of the bar.Said head is formed with a hub 17 having an axial bore in which an endof the shaft 18 is socketed for rotary movements as limited by a pin 20extendino from said bar into a slot 21 of said head. coil spring 22 issecured at' one end to the head and its other end to the side wall 3 ofthe frame to yieldingly retain the head toward one side of the frame aslimited by a stop 23.

Upon the u per edge of t-he wall 6 a rack bar 25 is rigi ly securedhaving a plurality of rack teeth 26 formed thereon with which pinionteeth 27 formed about the shaft 18 may be engaged, with the effect ofmoving -the shaft laterally of the frame throu h the sliding connectionofthe head 16 on t e bar 15 in opposition to the spring 22.

A strip of steel is secured at its ends 28 and 30 to the shaft 18 andagain in alignment therewith, as at 31. Adjacent the connections 28 and31 of said strip with the shaft it is indented, as at 32 and 33, for thepurpose of trimming out the stem end and the blossom end of the ear,respectively, and between such connections, as at 35, said strip isformed to follow the configuration of the interior surface of thereceptacle 13 and in spaced relation therefrom to the approximatethickness ofthe peeling to be removed from the fruit. Y

Between the secured portions 31 and 30 of said strip, as at 36, it isformed in a substantially semi-circular configura-tion for the purposeof removing the core of the fruit. Secured to the ortions32 and 36 ofsaid strip and space from said shaft in a line parallel thereto is asteel strip 37 vfor the purpose of removing the stem from the fruit.Said strips are formed with one of their edges shar ened to affordknifelike cutting edges. T e end of said shaft opposite to itsconnection in the head 16 is formed with a handle 38.

The operation of our invention ma?7 be described as follows: With theshaft ti ed upwardly on its pivotal connection with the bai` 15,half-sections of pears'as the fruit to be operated upon are placedwithin the receptacle 13 to the size of which the pears are graded. Theshaft is then lowered with the knife blades extending in a horizontalplane over the pear section, as indicated in F1g. 1, and in suchposition the shaft 18 will lie upon one side of the longitudinal axis ofthe receptacle 13 and the pear therewithin,whi1e the cutting portions ofthe knives will lie upon the opposite side of said axial line.

- motion, cutting away the Waste portions of the fruit from the bodythereof and leaving the latter free of all imperfections and each iecethereof cut touniform. standard size. @Vhen the shaft has been loweredupon/ the fruit into cuttin position the pinion teeth 27 Will be broug tinto mesh With the rack.

teeth 26 and in the process of turning the shaft such engagement willcause the shaftl to travel in irregular motion across the axis of thereceptacle so that When the finish of the cutting stroke is attained andthe knives 'are again in horizontal position the shaft will lbe in thesame relative position upon the opposite side of said axialline asorigif nally.

Through position With its periphery resting upon e top edge of the Wall5 and in contact With the ear section, filling the receptacle 13 flushwith its upper ed e, and the cutting edges of the knives vvi l enter andemerge from the pear section at the beginning and end of its cuttingstroke cleanly and Without tearing any of the fruit, and the axis ofrotation of the knives Will be maintained approximately at the peripheryof the shaft instead of in the axis of the shaft as would be the casevvith a nonmovable shaft,

rlfhe slot 2l is substantially semi-circular so that the pin 20 engagingat its opposite eatremities admits of a semi-circular movement of theshaft and a stop at each end thereof. WV hen the finish of the cuttingstroke is reached, the operator vvill rock the shaft upvvardly on thebar l5, disengaging the pinion from the rack, whereupon the rin 22 willassert itself to return the head and s aft to its original positionvvhile the operator turns the shaft and knives hack to their originalcutting position vvhile re moving the fruit just treated and' insertinga fresh section in place thereof.

The trays ll are readily removable, as Well as the shaft i8, which,together with the knives mounted thereon, are formed in counterparts sothat vvhere pears of other sizes are being operated upon a quicksubstitution may be made to the desired size and attern While thecutting operation is being made, the pear section may be held in thereceptacle in opposition to the pressure of the knives by the o eratorsleft hand pressing dovvn upon the ruit upon the left hand side of theshaft.

' Having described our invention, what We claim, is:

l'. Fruit peeling devices of the class described, consisting in a framehaving a rethese means the shaft may liehorizontally in its cuttingrenacer for rotary motion, and a knife secured to said shaft andoperatively engageable with the fruit contained in said receptacle.

`3. Fruit peeling devices of the. class described, consisting in a frameprovided with a receptacle to receive a half-section of fruit therein,`a horizontall l disposed bar in said frame, a head ivotal mounted uponsaid bar, and a sha t rotata ly supported in said head having aplurality of knives mounted thereon to operatively engage the fruitcontainedl within said receptacle.

4. Fruit peeling devices of the class described, consisting in a frameprovided with a rece tacle to receive a halfseotion of fruit, ahorizontally disposed bar in said frame, a head slidably mountedlongitudinally of said bar and pivotally movable thereon, and a ofknives mounted upon said shaft and operatively engageahle "with thefruit contained vvithin said receptacle.

6. Fruit peeling devices of the class described, consisting in a framehaving a receptacle to receive a half-section of fruit, a

shaft mounted for rotary and sliding movements of said frame,(zooperating means upon said frame, and said shaft to control thesliding movements of the shaft, and a plurality of knives mounted onsaid shaft.

7. Fruit peeling devices of the class described consisting in a framehavin a receptacle to receive a half-section of fruit, a barhorizontally disposed in said frame, a head slidable upon said bar andarranged for rotary movements thereon, a spring tending to yieldinglymaintain said head at one end of said bar', a shaft rotatable in saidhead, a rack-bar mounted in said frame, said shaft having pinion-teethabout its periphitl) ict

ery engageable with said rack-bar, and a.

plurality of knive s on said shaft.

8. In fruit peeling devices of the class described a rotatably mountedshaft, a peelknife secured at its opposite ends to sa1d shaft in aradial plane, a coring knife secured to the sha ft within the spaceformed shaft in parallel thereto.

CECIL B. SPENCER. L. MOORE CANADAY.

